Judy’s Daddy, John Turner, was a hard working and hard living miner from Tennessee that had a knack for gambling. Hard times eventually forced the family to relocate to San Francisco, but things weren’t any better on the West Coast. John and Mildred soon separated.
John’s lack of work didn’t keep him from playing cards, and on December 14, 1930, he won a bit of money from some traveling gamblers. “I’m gonna go buy my little girl a bicycle,” he said, holding up his wad of cash before stuffing it down into his left sock. As he left the table and hit the streets, the other gamblers took note of where he had stashed it
Several hours later, John Turner was found dead on the edge of the Mission District in San Francisco. His left sock was missing. The robbery and murder were never solved. Nine-year-old Judy was devastated. Mildred got sick and was advised by her doctor to move to a drier climate. So, one year later they moved to Los Angeles. That was 1931.
Do me a favor
Six years later, Judy was a 16-year-old sophomore at Hollywood High. She decided to skip a typing class and headed to a drug store, where she sat at the counter drinking a Coke. She didn’t know it, but her life was about to change drastically. She had just entered “the favor zone.”
A few minutes later she caught the eye of the publisher for the Hollywood Reporter who leaned over, introduced himself and said those famous words, “How’d you like to be in pictures?”
Several weeks latter she was connected with famous movie director Mervyn LeRoy, and he cast her in the first of many great films. It prophetically was titled A Star is Born. Melvyn changed Judy’s name to Lana Turner and …well; Paul Harvey says it better than I can.
Party favors
That ability to get noticed and promoted into really cool places is something we Christians call “favor.” Brother Webster, not the little guy that hangs out with Michael Jackson, but the dictionary, defines favor as “approving consideration or attention.” Another understanding of favor could be “good will, acceptance, and the benefits flowing from these.” The Brewer would define favor as the process of getting noticed and getting promoted.
This week’s confession from a highly caffeinated Christian comes flavored with favor.
You need favor. I need favor and more than ever before. Did you know at the time of Christ there were only two hundred million people on the entire planet? Today there are more than three hundred million in the United States alone. Over six billion people are walking around right now, and scientist’s say that’s more people than have ever lived in history before us.
It’s hard to get noticed and promoted when every day is like the busiest day at Disney World. Sip on this and savor the thought…God sees you.
A little bit of favor goes a long way and contrary to the gospel according to Brooks and Dunn, God is not too busy. Not only do I believe God sees you, but I also believe He would love to call you his favorite.
God’s favorite
We live in a very messed up world, but somehow God is perfectly right there in the midst. God’s presence is everywhere but his manifest presence is not. When you need Him to show up on your behalf, there’s a certain protocol for the King to arrive. It’s not about traditional religious ritual; it’s about the condition of your heart and how you position yourself.
You may have heard it said that God is no respecter of persons, but I promise you, He will favor certain people and things more than others. All you have to do to be God’s favorite is to walk in what God favors. May we find those places of favor in 2008 and go further than ever before. May we continually live in “the favor zone.”
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22 & 23
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